once upon a time recapping: that still small voice

We begin in the Enchanted Forest. A crowd watches a traveling puppet show while a redheaded boy sneaks through them, picking their pockets. Afterwards, as his parents examine their loot, the boy – Jiminy – finds a cricket in a cage and wishes he could do whatever he wanted, like the bug. His father reminds him he can’t change who he is.

Henry is at therapy. When asked, Henry explains that he thinks Archie is Jiminy Cricket because he acts as a conscience, helping people see right from wrong. Henry points out there are no crickets in Storybrooke, but he needs real proof. Archie wants to know why it’s important that the curse is real, but Henry has no answer.

Emma and Graham exchange some flirty banter about uniforms and authority before he convinces her to wear the deputy badge. The minute she clips it on her belt, there is an explosion.

A sinkhole has appeared on the edge of town. The mayor (and half the town) comes to investigate. Regina asks Emma to leave, citing town business, when Graham informs her that Emma is now his deputy. Regina looks murderous, but Graham replies, “It’s in my budget.”

Archie and Henry show up as Regina goes into mayor mode, promising to pave over the old mining tunnels and make the area safe. As the crowd disperses a bit, Regina finds a piece of metal-rimmed glass on the ground and slips in it her pocket, but not before Henry sees. He calls Archie and Emma over, claiming that Operation Cobra needs to find what’s in the mine before the mayor can cover it up. Regina interrupts their meeting, and then rips into Archie. She wants Henry’s delusion gone, or the only thing Archie will have left is his umbrella.

Back in the Enchanted Forest, an adult Jiminy is still stuck with his swindling parents. As he sets up for the show in the rain, a young boy stops by to listen to the crickets. He offers Jiminy his umbrella.

Henry comes in for therapy, and he is prepared to go into the mine to get the proof he needs. Archie warns him that his delusion is becoming a psychosis, and if it doesn’t stop he’ll be locked up. Henry runs off.

Ms. Blanchard is visiting David (aka John Doe/Charming) at the hospital. She asks about his old memories, but he likes the new ones better. His wife Katherine shows up and Ms. Blanchard flees. Later at home, she discusses her feelings with Emma, who warns her a married man is trouble. Henry appears, crying.

Emma confronts Archie, wanting to know what Regina did to make him destroy Henry’s world. He makes a flimsy attempt to defend himself when the mayor calls, looking for Henry. He’s not at home, and Archie worries he’s gone to the mine.

Jiminy visits a pre-dungeon Rumpelstiltskin, exchanging stolen goods and names for gold thread. He wants to be free, but his parents are holding him back. Rumpelstiltskin offers him a potion to take care of them, and will collect his parents afterwards as his fee.

Emma and Archie go to the mine. Inside, Henry finds another piece of glass, but when he picks it up the mine begins to shake. Archie runs inside just before the entrance collapses behind him. He tries to get Henry to leave, but he just runs deeper inside, claiming he will make Archie believe him.

Jiminy and his parents stop at the home of a couple, swindling them into buying “elf tonic.” Afterwards, a fed up Jiminy uses his potion on his parents, only to discover they switched out the bottle. He runs back to find the couple transformed into wooden puppets just as their son, the young boy from earlier, comes home.

Inside the mine, Henry claims he can see something down below. Archie is frightened for him, reminding him that they’re trapped. Outside, rescue efforts are underway. Regina and Emma exchange blame before deciding to blow the mine open – which doesn’t work. Henry and Archie take refuge in an old elevator.

Ms. Blanchard runs into David at the hospital, and he convinces her to go for a walk. He says that nothing feels real, like he woke up in a strange land. The only thing that seems right is her – they are about to kiss with Katherine shows up. Ms. Blanchard runs off.

With the help of Archie’s dog Pongo, the rescue team finds the airshaft the two are trapped in. Meanwhile, Henry and Archie apologize to each other. Archie doesn’t think Henry is crazy, and says he’s not the man he wants to be. Henry reminds Archie that it took Jiminy Cricket a while to figure out who he wanted to be, and that his conscience is still inside if he listens. On the surface, Marco (aka Geppetto) is prepared to lower one person down. Regina and Emma of course argue – each claiming Henry as their son – before Regina relents.

Archie asks Henry again why the fairy tale is so important, and he replies that this can’t be all there is. Emma appears and grabs Henry. The elevator begins to fall, but at the last second Archie hooks onto Emma’s harness with his umbrella.

On the surface, Emma tries to check on Henry but Regina shuts her down, ordering her to clear the crowd. Whatever peace they built is gone, and Emma looks crushed. Regina tries to thank Archie, but he cuts to the chase and asserts he will treat Henry his own way, or she may find herself on the losing end of a custody battle.

Jiminy wishes on a star. The Blue Fairy answers, but she can’t bring the couple back to life. All she can offer is a chance to help their son instead. He agrees, and she transforms him into a cricket so he can escape his parents and help the boy, Geppetto.

Henry is sitting with Emma. She asks about Marco and Archie, and he says they’re old friends. Henry then hears crickets chirping, and Archie looks impressed. We cut to Mr. Gold’s shop, where the puppets of Geppetto’s parents are sitting on a shelf. Another cut to the hospital, where Ms. Blanchard leaves a letter of resignation. Finally, we cut back to Regina standing off by the airshaft. She drops the piece of glass she picked up earlier, which falls deep into the earth and lands on a broken glass object covered in vines, which the writer of the episode confirms is Snow White’s glass coffin.

What we know so far:
Storybrooke and the Enchanted Forest are clearly connected – the coffin suggests that not only the people, but also some of physical reality of the Enchanted Forest have been transplanted into our world. I wonder what other artifacts might find their way into Storybrooke as Emma keeps shaking things up.

It really appears to me that Graham and Regina are in some sort of power struggle here, and I’m curious as to how she has been keeping him in check. From the beginning, he has never seemed that inclined to do Regina’s bidding. Also, it appears the Graham/Huntsman theory is correct based on what has leaked so far about episode 7…but it will be two weeks before the truth is known. Argh!

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[…] influence – for now. o If Storybrooke is connected to the Enchanted Forest, as evidenced by Snow’s coffin hidden deep in a mine shaft underground, does that mean this “magical” underground lake is the […]